Digital payments industry to touch Rs 1.2 lakh cr by 2014-end

New Delhi: The digital payments industry in India is expected to grow by 40 per cent to reach Rs 1.2 lakh crore by the end of 2014 as the number of people using credit/debit cards, online transactions and cash cards surges, a study said.

The digital payments industry was pegged at Rs 85,800 crore in December 2013, the study by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Payments Council Of India (PCI) and IMRB said. It added that the market for payments made through digital means grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent from 2010 to 2013.

Digital payments included in the study were credit/debit card transactions, net banking and those using mobile wallet, pre-paid cash cards and immediate payment systems (IMPS) over the Internet. It did not include remittances. According to the report, of around 800 million online transactions made in 2013, nearly 53 per cent of them were made using credit/debit cards.

While credit cards accounted for 21 per cent, debit cards constituted 32 per cent of the total payments. Online travel (including air and train ticket bookings), hotel accommodations and tour packages contributed nearly 60 per cent of the digital payments, followed by financial services (online mobile recharge and DTH service, online tax filing, insurance premium and utilities bill payment) and e-commerce.

Digital downloads (including downloads of e-Books, music and movies) and other online services, including websites for searching jobs, real estate and matrimonials contributed four per cent and two per cent, respectively.